As hundreds of prisoners are released early on to the streets of Britain, it’s vital that the authorities keep track of these criminals. Worryingly, this doesn’t seem to be happening: several recently released prisoners who have been out of jail for two to six weeks told me they have still not been tagged. It’s anyone’s guess what these people are up to – and where they are going.
Even probation officers struggle to get clear answers about whether or not tags have been fitted
A backlog in fitting tags appears to be causing this situation. But there are rumours that there is a wider shortage of tags. Whatever the reason, offenders who are supposed to be under curfew after their release are not being monitored. It seems unlikely that this situation will be fixed any time soon: neither the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) or Serco could give me a clear number for the waiting list in getting tags fitted.
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